The present invention generally relates to space heaters. More specifically, this invention relates to an apparatus for the dispersion of heat from a pipe exposed in a room. A method of heating a room is also disclosed in the present invention.
In some residential buildings, particularly in the northeastern part of the United States, heat and hot water pipes are disposed to the inside of the walls of a room (as opposed to being constructed within the walls). These pipes represent a source of heat which can be used to warm a room. It is well known in heat exchanger technology that heat transfer between a pipe and the ambient air can be increased by increasing the transfer surface area. This principal has; led to the use of finned tubing in heat exchangers and the like. The present invention utilizes this principal to provide a heat exchanger apparatus permitting more effective and selective use of exposed heat and hot water pipes as radiant heat sources.
A heat exchanger for a combustion heater is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,074. Various other heat exchangers are also known in the prior art. Exemplary prior art heat exchangers are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,983,549 to Krackowizer which discloses plate fins having punched lugs arranged in an unsymmetripal manner over a plurality of tubes; U.S. Pat. No. 1,891,538 to Hicks which discloses a plurality of fins having notches at the corners thereof which are soldered to metal tubing; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,540,339 to Kritzer which discloses transversely-interlocked coil and fins. Further evidence of the prior art is illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,988,494; 2,007,000; 2,007,001; 2,021,117; 2,051,402; 2,136,222; 2,189,652; 2,268,361; 2,602,650; 2,868,515; and 3,407,874. To the Applicant's knowledge no heat exchanger apparatus having the construction and directed to the purposes of the present invention is disclosed in the prior art.